Magnetic sensor
AssigneeTDK Corporation
InventorsKeisuke UCHIDA, Kazuya WATANABE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The magnetic sensor of the invention has an element portion that is elongate, that exhibits magnetoresistive effect and that has a magnetically sensitive axis in a direction of a short axis thereof. The element portion is non-oval and can be arranged in an imaginary ellipse, wherein the imaginary ellipse has a major axis that connects both ends of the element portion with regard to a direction of a long axis thereof to each other and a minor axis that connects both ends of the element portion with regard to a direction of the short axis thereof to each other, as viewed in a direction that is perpendicular both to the short axis and to the long axis of the element portion.
Claims17
A magnetic sensor comprising:
- an element portion that exhibits a magnetoresistive effect;
- the element portion includes a free layer whose magnetization direction is changed depending on an external magnetic field,
- the free layer is non-oval and is arranged in an imaginary ellipse, wherein the imaginary ellipse has a major axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a long axis thereof to each other and a minor axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a short axis thereof to each other, as viewed in a direction that is perpendicular both to the short axis and to the long axis of the free layer, wherein
- a width of the free layer with regard to the direction of the short axis thereof decreases from a middle position of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof toward both ends of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof as a distance from the middle position increases, and
- a rate of a change in the width of the free layer in the direction of the long axis increases from the middle position toward the both ends of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof as a distance from the middle position increases.
A magnetic sensor comprising:
- an element portion that exhibits a magnetoresistive effect;
- the element portion includes a free layer whose magnetization direction is changed depending on an external magnetic field,
- the free layer is non-oval and is arranged in an imaginary ellipse, wherein the imaginary ellipse has a major axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a long axis thereof to each other and a minor axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a short axis thereof to each other, as viewed in a direction that is perpendicular both to the short axis and to the long axis of the free layer,
- wherein
- a width of the free layer with regard to the direction of the short axis thereof decreases from a middle position of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof toward the end of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof, and
- at least a part of a circumference of the free layer is formed of a curved line.
A magnetic sensor comprising:
- an element portion that exhibits a magnetoresistive effect;
- the element portion includes a free layer whose magnetization direction is changed depending on an external magnetic field,
- the free layer is non-oval and is arranged in an imaginary ellipse, wherein the imaginary ellipse has a major axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a long axis thereof to each other and a minor axis that connects both ends of the free layer with regard to a direction of a short axis thereof to each other, as viewed in a direction that is perpendicular both to the short axis and to the long axis of the free layer,
- wherein a width of the free layer with regard to the direction of the short axis thereof decreases from a middle position of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof toward the end of the free layer with regard to the direction of the long axis thereof, and
- a rate of a change in the width of the free layer in the direction of the long axis is not constant between the middle position and the end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.